How to Feed a Teenage Boy

When it comes to feeding kids, have you noticed that babies and toddlers hog the headlines? They seem to get all the press when it comes to tips, techniques,  breast feeding, and current trends.

As a mother of three,  I’ve been through the baby stages numerous times. But,  I’m  now certain that it’s harder to feed a teen than it is a toddler. Teenagers are far more mobile, independent, and stressed than a toddler. They have greater access to an array of junk food and their nutritional needs are different and  far greater than that of a two year old. 

While  digging for tips on how to feed teens, I recently stumbled upon a fabulous book by Georgia Orcutt, How to Feed a Teenage Boy (Celestial Arts, 2007). Aha! The information I’ve been hunting for!  Orcutt is the mother of two teenage sons. Her book offers recipes and addresses many of my “Teen Cuisine” issues head on—intense nutritional needs,  wacky schedules,  and around the clock hunger pangs.

Orcutt advocates being flexible about mealtimes and serving healthy mini meals, such as sandwiches and bean burgers.  While reading Orcutt’s chapter on the nutritional needs of teenage boys, I was shocked and relieved to finally find some answers. Among other interesting facts,  she notes that an active teenage boy needs as many as 3200 calories a day and as many as 38 grams of fiber daily! Clearly, those numbers explain the endless hunger pangs and sky high food bills.

If you have teenagers,  get this book and use it. If you have thoughts and opinions on how to feed teens, I'd love to hear them! Is it better to experiment or is it safer to go with tried and true basic slam dunk recipes?

--Melissa A. Trainer